Enslaved mother in Saudi Arabia begs for freedom

The family of a 34-year-old mother of three says she has become a household slave in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

They are begging for help to bring Mwanaiki Said home to Mtongwe, Mombasa. Her children aged 12, eight and five are  crying for her.

Her family says Mwanaiki is beaten, hungry, unpaid, forced to repeat the same chore. Her employer pours cold water on her bed so she cannot sleep.

Her smartphone was smashed and she was given a cheap handset. She was struck on the head with a rod for daring to make herself a cup of tea. 

She is a prisoner, locked in the house.

Mwanaiki Said’s dream of turning her life and that of her family around became a nightmare of servitude after only two months in the Gulf country.

She left Kenya in November for what she hoped would be greener pastures. Her friends had convinced her to leave her casual job at a godown in Mombasa where she earned Sh12,000 a month.

The domestic work in Saudi Arabia was to pay at least Sh30,000 a month.

Things started well and she sent home Sh25,000 for the first two months. Then everything changed.

Suddenly, her employer, a woman, started finding fault with her work, beating her and forcing her to repeat almost every task.

Mwanaiki has not been paid since February.

The family said she is often denied food and is always locked in the house.

They said her employer pours water on Mwanaiki’s bed so she cannot sleep.  

“When she called, complained she is forced to do dishes or laundry twice. Her employer said laundry or dishes were not clean enough ” Saumu Omar, Mwanaiki’s mother, told the Star.

Speaking at Haki Africa offices on Tuesday, Omar said her daughter used to cry every time she called, asking her family to do do whatever they can to rescue her and bring her home.

“I cannot stand her suffering anymore. She is beaten daily and has become hopeless. She asks me to care for her three children, as she cannot see herself coming home alive," Omar said.

Masasi Omar, her uncle, said she last called on Sunday saying she was hit by a big rod on her head after she was found in the kitchen cooking herself tea.

Her employer smashed her smart phone and gave her a 'kabambe' to use.

Haki Africa rapid response officer Mathias Shipeta and his counterpart Harriet Muganda said the broker who organised Mwanaiki’s Saudi Arabia work has cut communication with her  family.

“He does not pick calls or respond to messages," Shipeta said.

Muganda said the government has lowered its guard about the problems of immigrant workers and now rogue agents are exploiting their inattention.

“The government had started being tough on recruitment agents but now they are relaxed,” Muganda said.

Shipeta said the Covid-19 pandemic has hurt Kenya's economy so many people are desperate for jobs.

“There is a surge in recruitment of domestic workers from Mombasa, Kwale and Kilifi counties. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are a ready market for labour,” Shipeta said.

The rapid response officer said due to the desperation of unemployed young people, many sign contracts without reading them.

“Some contracts they sign are in Arabic yet they do not understand Arabic. They just sign,” Shipeta said.

(Edited by V. Graham)